The Deal of a Lifetime
by SamiWami
Summary: Rose is trapped in Pete's World, and her dimension cannon isn't working. Desperate to get back to her Doctor and away from this universe that is all wrong, she strikes up a deal with someone she really should have stayed away from.
1. Chapter 1

No one could say Rose Tyler was not resilient.

It had only been two weeks since she'd been ripped away from her whole world. Two weeks since Torchwood, the Daleks and Cybermen, the void being closed and her sealed on the wrong side.

Sure, she'd spent the first day or so shut down. It had been well into the night before her mum had convinced her to leave the wall. Another day after that before she'd been persuaded to leave her new room in the mansion.

But then she did get up. She showered, she went with Pete to Torchwood, and she set into her new field agent job. She poked into R&D more often than she should. She plastered on a smile, answered all sorts of questions concerning where the new heir to the Tyler fortune had come from, going to galas and meeting people and playing the part.

None of that mattered. It was all just filling the times in between, making the people in her life stop worrying. Rose wasn't mentally present for any of it.

Her brain was back, focusing on everything she had ever learned from the Doctor.

He had said she could never see him again, that it was impossible.

But actions speak louder than words, and with everything she'd seen and done with the Doctor, she knew there was no such thing as impossible.

R&D had a few projects that held some promise. They were a long ways away from being anything she could use, but if she took the night classes and studied particle physics and theoretical spacio-temporal physics and a whole lot of other classes that ended in physics, she might be able to nudge it in the right direction. At least Torchwood was paying for her studies.

They only worked her half to death in the mean time.

Her time with the Doctor made her the field agent of dreams and once the heads of Torchwood had discovered that, they'd made her the head of the team sent out on the highest number of missions.

The running was good to keep the chips and coffee from affecting her. The chips and coffee were good for the endless hours she always worked. And the endless hours were good for staving off the time she otherwise spent alone, curled into a ball with the TARDIS key clutched to her chest as she sobbed into her pillow.

But that didn't mean she enjoyed being interrupted from those few hours of sleep she managed to steal.

The shrill ring of her phone split the air and the wonderfully numb dreamless sleep she'd been enjoying. She groaned, rolling over and reaching blindly for the device.

"Yeah?"

"Agent Tyler, we have detected an anomaly. Your team is being dispatched to 1002 Hamons."

She was awake immediately, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and reaching for her jeans. "Got it," she said as she memorized the address, then snapped her phone closed.

Snagging her scarf as she headed out the door, she wrapped it around herself and shoved her hands deep in her pockets. It was a cold night at three in the morning, but aliens rarely seemed to care about the temperature. In fact, with Christmas fast approaching, she wasn't surprised; it's like the holiday season drew them in.

The address she'd been given was a nondescript townhouse that looked like all the others on Hamons Street. She took a quick glance around before letting herself through the gate, up the stares, and into the door. She'd learned a long time ago that waiting for her team outside only drew attention. Besides, that Owen lad had been rather helpful in teaching her to pick locks.

The door was barely shut behind her when the floorboards in the next room creaked. Every muscle was tensed, every sense on end as she took a slow step towards the doorway. The wood paneled room held nothing but an empty table. A window on the far end of the room was open, sheer curtains fluttering lightly in the breeze. She moved to the window, craning her head to see if someone had jumped from the height.

"Little Rosey Tyler, still missing her Doctor?"

She spun, hand on the gun beneath her jacket. He looked human enough, but Slitheen in Downing Street had taught her not to trust what she saw. She tightened her grip on the gun.

"That won't do you much good," the man grinned at her. He picked up a bottle of whiskey that hand't been there a moment before, pouring himself a glass.

"Who are you?" she asked despite all her training telling her to get to a more secure location. "_What_ are you?"

A darker smile spread over his face. "I'm your fairy godmother, and I'm here to make all your dreams come true."


	2. Chapter 2

_"Little Rosey Tyler, still missing her Doctor?"_

_She spun, hand on the gun beneath her jacket. He looked human enough, but Slitheen in Downing Street had taught her not to trust what she saw. She tightened her grip on the gun._

_"That won't do you much good," the man grinned at her. He picked up a bottle of whiskey that hand't been there a moment before, pouring himself a glass._

_"Who are you?" she asked despite all her training telling her to get to a more secure location. "What are you?"_

_A darker smile spread over his face. "I'm your fairy godmother, and I'm here to make all your dreams come true."_

She stared him down levelly even as her heart pounded away in her chest. This creature, whatever he was, emanated an aura of fear that she hadn't encountered with any other species in the universe. This was something she hadn't met before. Fantastic.

"And how, exactly, will you do that?"

He took a sip from his glass, his eyes never straying from his appraisal of her. "Now, now, little Rosey, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Shall we have a little chat first? Come to an… agreement of sorts?"

For every slow step forwards that he took, the fear inside her heightened to a panicked level. "How do you know about the Doctor? Time Lords don't exist in this universe."

He tsked. "Looking a gift horse in the mouth? Really, these details are not important."

She opened her mouth to argue, blood thundering in her ears, when a noise to her left startled her. Before she could think it all the way through, she'd pulled her gun and fired two shots into the creature's chest.

He didn't even stumbled as he looked down at where the bullets and impacted. "Well that was rather rude."

The front door splintered open, the shouts of her team filling the hall. He looked at her steadily, sending her a wink. "Hmm, gotta go, love. Perhaps another time." She blinked and he was gone.

Her team tumbled into the room, guns at the ready, eyes searching around the room. Jake was at her side before she'd lowered her own gun. "Tyler, where has it gone?"

They were all looking at her expectantly, so she snapped herself together, holstered her gun, and gave a shrug. "Whatever it was, it's vanished. I'm sure if you sweep the area, you won't find any traces of it. I'm going back to bed. We'll research it in the morning."

She didn't give them a chance to argue with her before she turned and left the house.

It had taken her three weeks to believe what had happened to her. Another two to stop calling the experts lunatics. A few more weeks in therapy to deal with the thought of facing a different version of the creature she had faced on Krop Tor.

The fact of the matter was, there were no aliens that could look like that, talk like that, and survive two gunshots at close range without even flinching. It had taken some time, but she finally believed her American contacts: this was a demon.

More specifically, Crowley, the king of hell.

It had taken her nearly two months to get to this point, but she was impatient to wait any longer as she looked around her, tapping her foot impatiently. Those damned Winchesters, even though they had told her to stay the hell away from him, had promised this summoning thing would work.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, love." She wheeled as a silken voice sounded behind her.

Her eyes snapped over him, but she kept her face carefully neutral. "Do you ever change your suit? Not that I'm not used to that in a guy, but at least he used to change his tie."

"Just couldn't stay away, could you, Rosie? You should've listened to those idiots across the pond."

"I wanted to know what you meant."

"About what?"

She glared him down. "What did you mean by a deal?"

His held his hands out. "Surely the boys told you what I do. Deals are sort of my thing."

She waved off his words impatiently. "Yeah, I got that. What kind of deal?"

"I can send you back to your Prince Charming in that little blue box of his. Then you can spend the rest of your days with him traveling across the stars. It'll be so romantic. Your very own little happily ever after."

Her heart pounded in her chest. Everything she had been working for since coming here, everything she had wanted and dreamed about right within her reach. The Winchesters' warnings flitted through her head, but she pushed them down along with all of her emotions. Keeping her tone carefully neutral, she asked, "Why would you do that for me?"

"Well, I like happy endings."

She scoffed, pulling out a vial of holy water and waving it in his direction. "Right, 'course you do. Want to try that again?"

He shrugged, turning to walk a few steps away from her. "Very well, have it your way. No games then. I'll give you what you want, back with your little space man, traveling the stars. Ten years of happiness. Ten years of happily ever after, with ne'er a chance to part. And at the end of that ten years, well… your soul is mine."

The boys had warned her this was coming. She'd had hours-long arguments with them that there was no such thing as souls, or gods, heavens or hells. She still didn't believe there was.

"Why only ten years?" That didn't mean she'd make it easy for him.

He looked at her over his shoulder, lips pursed, shaking his head. "Nah, sweetheart, no negotiating for more time. It's always ten years. Thought your research would have turned that up." He turned on his heel to face her, and dusted his shoulder off. "But think of all you could do in ten years. You had not only two years with him before. And you lived more in those two years than some people do in their whole lives. Imagine ten years. Ten whole years of uninterrupted bliss with your sweet beloved. Ten years of—"

"Alright." She held her hand out to him.

He blinked at her. "What?"

"I don't need the whole routine,_ Crowley_. You've got a deal."

A grin stretched across his face as he took her hand. "Alright, sweetheart. But I don't make deals with just a handshake." Before she could ask what he meant, he jerked her to him, pressing his lips against hers.

She jerked back as darkness swirled around her. "Crowley, what—"

The roar of passing vehicles on the motorway faded away, replaced with a familiar hum. A gentle wheeze. The sound of the universe. She opened her eyes to the green light of the console room.

He stood not even three feet from her. Slowly his head raised up, eyes going wide as he took her in.

A smile spread across her face. "Hello," she giggled in relief.


	3. Chapter 3

_The roar of passing vehicles on the motorway faded away, replaced with a familiar hum. A gentle wheeze. The sound of the universe. She opened her eyes to the green light of the console room._

_He stood not even three feet from her. Slowly his head raised up, eyes going wide as he took her in._

_A smile spread across her face. "Hello," she giggled in relief._

She didn't get the reaction she was expecting.

He stumbled back, tripping over his own feet and landing hard on his bum. But it didn't stop him as he continued to scramble backwards, waving one arm at her. "No, no no no no. You can't… No!"

Her face clouded with concern and she stepped closer to him. "Doctor?" She hated how her voice wavered, but he was scaring her.

At her voice, he wrapped his arms around his head, burying the tangle of limbs in his knees. "No! Whatever you are, get away from me." She knew by the thickness in his voice and the shaking of his shoulders that he was crying. "Not her. Not now. Get out."

Her heart breaking for him, she dropped to her knees beside him. One hand smoothed his hair down between his fingers while another tried to tug his arm away so that she could see his face. At her touch, he tensed up more. But slowly he raised his head, blinking at her.

"Doctor, it's me. It's really me. I'm here."

She watched his eyes harden, shuddering as he fixed her with the Oncoming Storm look. "You can't be. Rose is trapped in a parallel universe. She's trapped there and it's all my fault. There's no way she could have come back without destroying the fabric of both universes. Believe me, I checked into it."

He shoved himself to his feet, nearly knocking her over in the process, as he stormed towards the console. He punched keys on the keyboard nearly violently, pulling the display screen towards himself. "How did you get in here, then? Not chock full of Huon particles are you? Hmm? No? Temporal shift that allowed you into the TARDIS while her defenses were still down? What?"

She remained knelt where she was, gaping at his flurry of questions. No, no, no, this was not how it was supposed to be. She'd imagined a joyful hug like after their reunion off Krop Tor. Or at the Olympics. Or on the Gamestation. Maybe she'd been hoping for a snog. Whatever it was, this was not the reaction she expected or wanted.

He wheeled on her in her silence, and she recoiled from his look. He flinched at the fear on her face, but shoved it back under and stalked closer to her. He pulled his sonic out, shining it in her face as he crouched down to her level. "What are you? Android? Whifferdill? A temporal anomaly sent here to torture me?" His voice cracked as he ran on, and she could see his eyes shining again as he glared down at the device in his hand.

Slowly, she reached a hand out, sliding it along his unoccupied hand. She threaded her fingers in his, and his tightened around hers reflexively before he tried to pull away. Her other hand she raised to his face, holding it steady even as he flinched away from her touch. "Doctor, it's me. It's really me. I promised you forever, yeah? Our forever isn't over with."

Slowly his eyes softened, his hand tightening around hers. "Rose?" he asked in a whisper.

She gave him a watery smile. "Hello."

Relief finally broke in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly to him in the hug she'd been longing for since Canary Wharf. "No longer an image; now I can touch," she murmured as she hugged him back just as hard.

After several minutes had passed, he pulled back, looking down at her in awe and confusion. "But how did you… I mean, I tried everything before I… How—"

She pressed a hand to the center of his chest, feeling his comforting double heartbeats. "I promised you forever, and I meant it. A little thing like a parallel universe isn't going to stop me." She smiled at him, tongue caught between her teeth.

A grin broke out on his face, warming her heart and widening her own smile. "Rose Tyler, you are brilliant you are." He held her close again, and she felt like the happiness inside her was going to burst her at the seams after all the tears of the last several months.

He pulled back one more time, something in his eyes that she couldn't quite discern. "Really, though, Rose, how did you do it? We're in the vortex right now, and you turn up in the TARDIS. No one should be able to do that. Not even Donna, turning up in the TARDIS; at least I was still orbiting that star. But you. How?"

She avoided his eyes, not wanting to discuss it. She stood by what she did, but for some reason she had a sinking feeling the Doctor would not approve. So instead she latched on to something he had said earlier. "Hold on, Doctor, why are the defenses down?"

It was his turn to avoid her eyes, and the hunch of his shoulders told her that he was dropping back down into the sorrow that had laced his voice earlier. "I had a bit of a mishap on a ship. But I'm alright, and the old girl's alright." Before she could press for more, his eyes snapped to hers and his hands tightened around her arms. "Rose, you need to tell me what you did. If Torchwood in Pete's world has the capability to send you into the TARDIS while it's in the Vortex, it's something I need to know. That's dangerous technology, and that universe could be unraveling as we speak. The very fabric of reality could be destroyed. I need to know, Rose."

She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. "No, the universes are safe, alright? He promised me that it wouldn't effect everyone else."

His hold on her tightened a little more. "Who promised you? Rose, what did you do?"


	4. Chapter 4

_She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. "No, the universes are safe, alright? He promised me that it wouldn't effect everyone else."_

_His hold on her tightened a little more. "Who promised you? Rose, what did you do?" _

~/~/~

"Doctor?" She sat on the jump seat, watching him pace around the console. She was just… tired. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. They were supposed to go back to how it had been before. He was supposed to finally finish that sentence he'd started on that damned beach.

Instead, he hadn't spoken a word for the last fifteen minutes. Instead he avoided her eyes, tugged on his hair, and paced the grating like a caged animal.

"Doctor, talk to me."

He froze, his back to her, the time rotor between them. Every edge and line of him was rigid, trembling with pent up anger and worry. She got to her feet, preparing to go to him, but before she could take a step he wheeled on her.

"I can't believe you've been so stupid."

His eyes were hard, frightening. This must be what others saw that caused them to go to any lengths to destroy the Doctor. This must be the dangerous creature so many societies were afraid of.

Rose wouldn't back down. "I knew what I was doing, Doctor! I did my research. I made a decision, just like you do every day. I tried to live like you wanted me to, I tried to have a fantastic life, but… It's not easy to leave this life behind. I couldn't do it!" She felt tears stinging at the back of her eyes but she wouldn't let them come.

He scoffed, turning away from her. "This was not the way to handle things, Rose. This was the stupidest thing you could have done."

She bristled at his easy dismissal of her. "Doctor!—"

"You sold your soul, Rose!" She jerked back from his sudden shout, pressing herself back against the jump seat. "Don't you understand what that means?! You'll be dragged down to hell and ripped apart, over and over again for the rest of eternity, and I won't be able to save you! Do you understand?!"

She scanned his face, taking in the horror and the distress in his expressive eyes, and her heart broke. It hadn't merited thinking too much about, what would happen in ten years, because the alternative of living life without him was too much to bear. She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders."I just wanted to have a life with you. I love you."

He flinched back away from her words, and that felt like more of a knife through the gut than anything else that had happened in the past several months. For a moment, she was right back in that room, being told by the Doctor that she was going to have to choose to be away from him forever.

She felt like she'd made the wrong choice in coming back at all. He didn't want her back; he didn't want her here. Tears flooding her eyes, she spun and dashed deeper into the TARDIS, into the warm comforts of the sentient ship, away from the cold hard eyes of the man she had given up everything for.


End file.
